Originating from a 1765 commedia dell’arte by Carlo Gozzi, The Green Bird gets a modern staging that is “40 percent improvised,” says Director Dave Dalton of UVA Drama’s update. Gozzi’s version had serious undertones that were meant to expose what he considered dangerous ideas of Enlightenment thinkers. At UVA, the play is a hilarious ride through a dysfunctional fairy tale, filled with recognizable, over-the-top 21st-century archetypes, and told by a 19-person cast of wild characters dominated by a mysterious, powerful bird.
$8-14, 8pm. Culbreth Theater, 109 Culbreth Rd. artsboxoffice.virginia.edu